Lleida's Arnau de Vilanova Hospital has expanded its stroke unit, now providing mechanical thrombectomy for severe cases for 12 hours a day, from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday. The change, in place since Monday, is a 60% increase in service hours, up from five hours on weekdays, according to the Department of Health.
The expansion was approved by the Executive Council in April and required the recruitment of two doctors trained at Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona. The hospital has also added four new beds to its stroke unit.
The Department of Health plans to extend this coverage to weekends from September. For severe stroke patients who need thrombectomy during night hours, transfers to Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona will still be needed. The Catalan government has said it wants in-person service at Arnau de Vilanova to reach 24 hours a day by the end of next year.
Dr Pere Cardona, director of the Department of Health's Master Plan for Cerebrovascular Disease, said the hospital will soon use artificial intelligence software to speed up decisions on possible stroke treatments by interpreting symptoms more quickly. He said it will also help medical staff share images more easily.
Cardona said the system should be especially useful for hospitals in the Pyrenees, which refer all severe stroke cases to Arnau de Vilanova as the main reference centre for emergencies in the Lleida province. For more Catalonia health updates, see our news coverage.